{"id":371548,"date":"2025-08-26T08:13:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T12:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=371548"},"modified":"2025-08-26T08:13:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T12:13:17","slug":"folger-theatre-announces-cast-and-creative-team-for-julius-x","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/08\/26\/folger-theatre-announces-cast-and-creative-team-for-julius-x\/","title":{"rendered":"Folger Theatre announces cast and creative team for ‘Julius X’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Folger Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>written by\u00a0Al Letson<\/strong>, directed by\u00a0Nicole Brewer,<\/strong>\u00a0and starring\u00a0Brandon Carter<\/strong> in the title role. The first production of Folger Theatre\u2019s 2025\/26 season, performances will run from September 23 through October 26, 2025, at the Folger Shakespeare Library\u2019s Elizabethan-style Theatre on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018This is not the story you know, but somewhere in-between\u2019 is how\u00a0Julius X\u00a0<\/em>begins, reminding us that this story is not fact but an imagined truth that blends two iconic historical characters,\u201d stated Artistic Director and Director of Artistic Programs\u00a0Karen Ann Daniels<\/strong>. \u201cJust like Shakespeare did with\u00a0Julius Caesar,\u00a0<\/em>which he adapted from Plutarch, Al Letson created a dramatized mythology of Malcolm and Caesar to help us explore the struggle for power, friendship, and free will in our own age.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Peabody Award-winning journalist, podcast host, comic book creator, and playwright\u00a0Al Letson<\/strong>\u00a0(Reveal\u00a0<\/em>podcast from the Center for Investigative Reporting; DC Comics\u2019\u00a0Mr. Terrific: Year One<\/em>) takes Shakespeare\u2019s classic tragedy\u00a0Julius Caesar\u00a0<\/em>and reworks it through the lens of the American Civil Rights Movement, drawing parallels between ancient Rome and 1960s Harlem. Directed by DC-based theater artist\u00a0Nicole Brewer\u00a0<\/strong>(Folger Theatre\u2019s Reading Room Festival\u2019s\u00a0By the Queen,\u00a0The House That Will Not Stand\u00a0<\/em>at Howard University),\u00a0Julius X<\/em>\u00a0explores the historical weight of Malcolm X\u2019s last days and legacy and the cyclical nature of ambition, power, and revolution. In this retelling, Letson\u2019s experience as a spoken word artist and Brewer\u2019s use of soundscapes made by the cast creates a lyrical tragedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many ways, you already know the story \u2014 whether through Shakespeare or American history,\u201d Brewer shared. \u201cBut you\u2019re compelled to watch it unfold again, because of how Letson remixes his own verse with excerpts from Malcolm X\u2019s speeches and the most notable lines and scenes from Julius Caesar<\/em>. Ultimately,\u00a0Julius X\u00a0<\/em>is a love story of the brotherly love that exists between Black men for their faith, their community, and each other \u2014 struggling against internal and external forces that oppose the very existence of that love.”<\/p>\n

\u201cJulius X<\/em>\u00a0was inspired basically by being told that I wasn’t going to get cast for Mark Antony in a production of\u00a0The Tragedy of Julius Caesar<\/em>, because back then they weren’t doing colorblind casting,” stated Letson. \u201cSo, I thought like screw it, I’m going to write my own. I had just such a deep love for Shakespeare\u2019s text when I was in 10th grade, I remember hearing Mark Antony\u2019s speech and it just blew me away. I also read\u00a0The Autobiography of Malcolm X<\/em>\u00a0when I was in 7th grade, and that stayed with me. Shakespeare\u2019s\u00a0The Tragedy of Julius Caesar<\/em>\u00a0really fit almost perfectly with Malcolm X\u2019s life. They were very different men, but their circumstances just overlapped really well. Malcolm was a man who was deeply committed to the fight for Civil Rights, and one of the most beautiful things about his life is that you can look at him and you can see him learn and change over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon Carter<\/strong>, a renowned Shakespearean actor well-known to local audiences (Folger Theatre\u2019s\u00a0Romeo and Juliet;\u00a0<\/em>American Shakespeare Center:\u00a0The Henriad, Julius Caesar<\/em>) stars as the tragic hero Julius X. The acting company features\u00a0Jonathan Del\u00a0Palmer\u00a0<\/strong>(Folger Theatre\u2019s\u00a0The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em>) as Marc Anthony,\u00a0Jay Frisby\u00a0<\/strong>(Ford\u2019s Theatre:\u00a0Little Shop of Horrors<\/em>) as Cassius,\u00a0Lilli Hokama<\/strong>\u00a0(Folger Theatre’s\u00a0Twelfth Night, Amadeus<\/em>) as Addara,\u00a0Greg Alverez Reid<\/strong>\u00a0(Studio Theatre:\u00a0Fat Ham,\u00a0<\/em>Helen Hayes Ensemble Award nomination) as Brutus, OBIE Award winner\u00a0Nikkole Salter<\/strong>\u00a0(By the Queen<\/em>, Reading Room Festival 2025) as Calpurnia,\u00a0Gaelyn D. Smith<\/strong>\u00a0(Studio Theatre:\u00a0Fat Ham<\/em>, Helen Hayes Ensemble Award nomination) as Cinna and Black Soothsayer,\u00a0Shawn Sebastian Naar\u00a0<\/strong>(Anacostia Playhouse:\u00a0Sunset Baby<\/em>, Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Performer) as Octavius and Marullus,\u00a0Dwayne Alistair Thomas<\/strong>\u00a0(Baltimore Center Stage:\u00a0Akeelah and the Bee<\/em>) as Casca and Flavius, and\u00a0Renee Elizabeth Wilson\u00a0<\/strong>(Folger Theatre\u2019s\u00a0Romeo and Juliet; Metamorphoses<\/em>, Helen Hayes Ensemble Award nomination) as Portia.<\/p>\n

The creative team includes\u00a0Shawn Short\u00a0<\/strong>(Choreographer),\u00a0Jonathan Dahm Robertson<\/strong>\u00a0(Scenic Designer), who designed Folger Theatre\u2019s DC Metro-inspired\u00a0Romeo and Juliet<\/em>\u00a0set last season,\u00a0Danielle Preston\u00a0<\/strong>(Costume Designer),\u00a0Porsche McGovern\u00a0<\/strong>(Lighting Designer),\u00a0Thom J. Woodward<\/strong>\u00a0(Sound Designer),\u00a0Andr\u00e9s Poch\u00a0<\/strong>(Projection Designer),\u00a0Isabel Simoes deCarvalho\u00a0<\/strong>(Props Designer),\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0John “Ray” Proctor\u00a0<\/strong>(Dramaturg, and Voice and Text Coach), who directed Folger Theatre\u2019s staged reading of\u00a0Six Othellos<\/em>\u00a0at the Reading Room Festival, 2024.<\/p>\n

Folger Theatre\u2019s production of\u00a0Julius X\u00a0<\/em>is on stage at the Folger Shakespeare Library from September 23\u2013October 26, 2025. Accessible performances and related programming will be offered throughout the run of the production and are listed on the show page. Tickets start at $20 and are available online at\u00a0www.folger.edu\/juliusx\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>or by calling the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.<\/p>\n

Cast & Creative Team<\/strong><\/p>\n

CAST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Carter*<\/strong>\u00a0(Julius X<\/em>) (he\/him)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>:\u00a0Romeo and Juliet.<\/em>\u00a0Regional: Virginia Repertory Theatre:\u00a0Shakespeare in Love, The Christians<\/em>; American Shakespeare Center:\u00a0The Henriad, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, Pass Over<\/em>; Luna Stage:\u00a0The Brothers Size<\/em>; Houston Shakespeare Festival:\u00a0As You Like It<\/em>; Rec Room Arts:\u00a0Death of A Salesman<\/em>; Off-Broadway: Classical Theatre of Harlem:\u00a0A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream, The Three Musketeers, Macbeth, The Tempest<\/em>; National Black Theater:\u00a0Blood at the Root<\/em>; The Apollo Theatre:\u00a0The First Noel.<\/em>\u00a0International Tour:\u00a0Blood at the Root<\/em> (Graham F. Smith Peace Foundation Prize).<\/p>\n

Jonathan Del Palmer*<\/strong>\u00a0(Marc Anthony<\/em>) (he\/him)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>:\u00a0The Winter\u2019s Tale, Our Verse in Time to Come\u00a0<\/em>(The Reading Room Festival, 2023); Rep Stage:\u00a0Kill Move Paradise<\/em>; Shakespeare Theatre Company:\u00a0Hamlet<\/em>\u00a0(u\/s); Constellation Theatre Company:\u00a0Moon Man Walk<\/em>; 1st Stage:\u00a0columbinus, The Member of the Wedding, The Rainmaker<\/em>; Theater Alliance:\u00a0Day of Absence<\/em>; Avant Bard Theatre:\u00a0Suddenly Last Summer, Julius Caesar<\/em>; Rorschach Theatre:\u00a0Sing to Me Now<\/em>; 4615 Theatre Company:\u00a0Life Jacket<\/em>; Library of Congress:\u00a0The Conjure Man Dies<\/em>; Off-Broadway: 54 Below:\u00a0How to Quit Your Day Job<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Jay Frisby*<\/strong>\u00a0(Cassius<\/em>) (he\/him)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut; Ford\u2019s Theatre:\u00a0Little Shop of Horrors, Shout Sister Shout!, Grac<\/em>e; Olney Theatre:\u00a0Kim\u2019s Convenience, Waitress, Beautiful, Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, Matilda, The Royale, Miss You Like Hell, South Pacific, Annie, Mary Poppins<\/em>; Signature Theatre:\u00a0The Color Purple, The Scottsboro Boys<\/em>; Imagination Stage:\u00a0Cinderella, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe<\/em>; Labor Heritage Foundation:\u00a0Working<\/em>; Rep Stage:\u00a0Dorian\u2019s Closet<\/em>. Regional: Connecticut Repertory Theatre:\u00a0Smokey Joe\u2019s Caf\u00e9<\/em>; Ogunquit Playhouse:\u00a0South Pacific<\/em>. Tours:\u00a0South Pacific, Click Clack Moo, The Whiffenpoofs of Yale<\/em>. International: Hong Kong Disneyland:\u00a0Festival of the Lion King<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Lilli Hokama*<\/strong>\u00a0(Addara<\/em>) (they\/she)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>:\u00a0Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream<\/em>,\u00a0Amadeus;<\/em>\u00a0Arena Stage:\u00a0The Age of Innocence\u00a0<\/em>(u\/s),\u00a0Death on the Nile\u00a0<\/em>(u\/s). Rorschach Theatre:\u00a0Night of the Living Dead\u00a0<\/em>(Director). Regional: Baltimore Center Stage:\u00a0Antigone<\/em>; Dallas Theatre Center:\u00a0Little Women<\/em>; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center:\u00a0Water by the Spoonful, Elf: The Musical, Guadalupe in the Guestroom<\/em>; Chester Theatre:\u00a0I and You,<\/em>\u00a0Now Circa Then<\/em>; Kitchen Theatre Company:\u00a0Matt and Ben<\/em>; Colorado Shakespeare Festival:\u00a0Troilus and Cressida;\u00a0<\/em>Aurora Fox Arts Center:\u00a0The Arabian Nights<\/em>,\u00a0She Kills Monsters<\/em>. New York: Morningside Players Theater Co.:\u00a0The Understudy;\u00a0<\/em>Lincoln Center Theater:\u00a0The Wolves\u00a0<\/em>(u\/s). Voiceover\/Motion Capture:\u00a0The Expanse: A<\/em>\u00a0Telltale Series.<\/em>\u00a0Audiobook:\u00a0When Darcy Met Lizzy; A Queer Retelling of Pride and Prejudice.<\/em><\/p>\n

Shawn Sebastian Naar*<\/strong>\u00a0(Octavius and Marullus<\/em>) (he\/him)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut; Anacostia Playhouse:\u00a0Sunset Baby<\/em> (Helen Hayes Award nomination, Outstanding Lead Performer); 1st Stage: The Piano Lesson<\/em>; Strand Theater Company:\u00a0Blood Bound and Tongue Tied<\/em>,\u00a0Well<\/em>; Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco:\u00a0The Arsonist<\/em>. Off-Off-Broadway: Andrew Freedman Home Theatre in the Bronx:\u00a0The Fall of the Kings<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Greg Alverez Reid*<\/strong>\u00a0(Brutus<\/em>)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut; Studio Theatre:\u00a0Fat Ham, Seven Guitars;\u00a0<\/em>Signature Theatre:\u00a0Detroit \u201867<\/em>; Theater Alliance:\u00a0Broke-ology.<\/em>\u00a0Regional: Yale Repertory Theater:\u00a0Eden<\/em>; Center Theatre Group\/Mark Taper Forum:\u00a0Blues for an Alabama Sky<\/em>; Huntington Theatre Company:\u00a0The Bluest Eye.\u00a0<\/em>Northern Stage:\u00a0Sweat<\/em>; McCarter Theater Center:\u00a0Fences<\/em>. Off-Broadway: New Federal Theater:\u00a0The Fabulous Miss Marie.\u00a0<\/em>National Tours: Kennedy Center:\u00a0Locomotion, My Lord What a Morning.<\/em>\u00a0Film:\u00a0Between The World and Me.<\/em>\u00a0Television:\u00a0FBI: Most Wanted, Wu-Tang: An American Saga.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Nikkole Salter*<\/strong>\u00a0(Calpurnia<\/em>) (she\/her)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>:\u00a0By the Queen\u00a0<\/em>(The Reading Room Festival, 2025). Arena Stage:\u00a0We Are Gathered.\u00a0<\/em>Regional: Arena Stage, Mosaic Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Baltimore Center Stage, Round House Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Berkley Repertory Theatre, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Luna Stage, etc. Broadway: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts:\u00a0The Great Society.\u00a0<\/em>Off-Broadway: Primary Stages\/Perry Street Theatre:\u00a0In the Continuum<\/em>; Playwrights Horizons:\u00a0Inked Baby;\u00a0<\/em>DR2 Theatre:\u00a0Gloria: A Life.\u00a0<\/em>Television:\u00a0The Unit, New Amsterdam, Godfather of Harlem.\u00a0<\/em>Film:\u00a0The Architect, Pride and Glory, Love and Communication, Last Night<\/em>. Voiceover:\u00a0Midnight Club: Los Angeles (<\/em>Rockstar Games). Awards: Helen Hayes, Outer Critics Circle, OBIE, AUDELCO, IRNE, Acclaim. Education: New York University: MFA, Howard University, BFA.<\/p>\n

Gaelyn D. Smith*<\/strong>\u00a0(Cinna<\/em>\u00a0and Black Soothsayer<\/em>) (she\/her)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut; Studio Theatre:\u00a0Fat Ham\u00a0<\/em>(Helen Hayes Ensemble Award nomination), Clyde\u2019s<\/em>. Discovery Theater:\u00a0How Old is a Hero?<\/em>\u00a0Film:\u00a0Loops & Breaks.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dwayne Alistair Thomas*<\/strong>\u00a0(Casca and Flavius<\/em>)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut; Baltimore Center Stage,\u00a0Akeelah and the Bee<\/em>. Regional: Theatre in the X:\u00a0Othello, Running Numbers<\/em>; InterAct Theatre:\u00a0Assassin, You for Me for You<\/em>; Bristol Riverside Theatre:\u00a0Man of La Mancha<\/em>; Richard Perry Theatre:\u00a0Ragtime<\/em>; The Center at West Park;\u00a0The Tempest, Twelfth Night<\/em>. Off-Broadway: The Collective Unconscious,\u00a0Titus X.<\/em>\u00a0National Tours:\u00a0Charlotte’s Web, The Rosa Parks Story.\u00a0<\/em>Film:\u00a0Samaritan, Take from Me, The Bad Guardian.<\/em>\u00a0Television:\u00a0We Own This City, Bad Monkey, The Americans, Hightown, NCIS: New Orleans, Blue Bloods, The Knick, Tales, Step Up.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Renee Elizabeth Wilson*<\/strong>\u00a0(Portia<\/em>) (she\/her)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>:\u00a0Romeo and Juliet, Metamorphoses<\/em>\u00a0(Helen Hayes Award nomination); Theater Alliance:\u00a0American Fast<\/em>; Mosaic Theater Company:\u00a0Monumental Travesties\u00a0<\/em>(world premiere),\u00a0Native Son, Milk Like Sugar<\/em>; Theater J:\u00a0Intimate Apparel<\/em>; Round House Theatre:\u00a0Radio Golf, Nollywood Dreams<\/em>; Constellation Theatre Company:\u00a0Moon Man Walk<\/em>; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company:\u00a0Ain’t No Mo\u2019<\/em>; Imagination Stage:\u00a0The Hula-Hoopin\u2019 Queen<\/em>\u00a0(world premiere); Studio Theatre:\u00a0Skeleton Crew, Doubt, White Noise<\/em>; Arena Stage:\u00a0Tempestuous Elements, Seven Guitars<\/em>. International:\u00a0Red Shoes\u00a0<\/em>(world premiere) Film:\u00a0Smoke Out, VeraCity.<\/em><\/p>\n

CREATIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Al Letson<\/strong>\u00a0(Playwright<\/em>)\u00a0Folger Theatre:<\/strong>\u00a0Julius X\u00a0<\/em>(The Reading Room Festival, 2023). Regional: New Jersey Repertoire Company:\u00a0Summer in Sanctuary; The Marsh: Summer in Sanctuary<\/em>. Off-Broadway: Abingdon Theater Company:\u00a0Summer in Sanctuary<\/em>. National tours:\u00a0Griot: He Who Speaks The Free Word<\/em>. Television:\u00a0Monarch<\/em>, seasons 1 and 2,\u00a0Horror Noire, Moonhaven<\/em>. Awards: three Peabody Awards, four Edward R. Murrow Awards, two Emmy Awards.<\/p>\n

Nicole Brewer\u00a0<\/strong>(Director<\/em>)*** (she\/her)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>:\u00a0By The Queen<\/em>\u00a0(The Reading Room Festival, 2025),\u00a0Julius X<\/em>\u00a0(The Reading Room Festival, 2023). Howard University:\u00a0The House That Will Not Stand, Jonkonnu<\/em>; Catholic University:\u00a0Ties That Bind<\/em>; DC Fringe Festival:\u00a0The Hair Chronicles<\/em>; Montgomery College:\u00a0My aMeriCa<\/em>. Regional:\u00a0No Dream Deferred: Defiance of Dandelions<\/em>; Baltimore Center Stage\/Long Wharf Theatre:\u00a0Fires in the Mirror<\/em>; The Black Rep (St. Louis):\u00a0Milk Like Sugar<\/em>. Directed Readings: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company:\u00a0Gem of The Ocean<\/em>; WAM Theatre:\u00a0Letters to Kamala<\/em>; Marymount University:\u00a0Madres de la Revoluci\u00f3n<\/em>. Member: Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC).<\/p>\n

Shawn Short<\/strong>\u00a0(Choreographer<\/em>) (he\/him)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut; Atlas Performing Arts Center:\u00a0X Marks The Spot<\/em>,\u00a0Head or Tails<\/em>,\u00a0On The Fifth<\/em>,\u00a0Watch Me Bounce<\/em>,\u00a0Drum<\/em>,\u00a0Cinema\u00a0<\/em>(PBS),\u00a0Hybrid<\/em>; Dance Place:\u00a0Habbi<\/em>; Washington Performing Arts Society:\u00a0UNDRSTAND Ostrich Dance<\/em>; Prince George\u2019s Publick Playhouse:\u00a0Fall Forward<\/em>; Kennedy Center:\u00a0Genotype Called Love<\/em>; Adventure Theatre-MTC:\u00a0Music Man<\/em>,\u00a0Head of Dance<\/em>. New York: Jazz at Lincoln Center:\u00a0Habibi: A Musical Journey Through the Arab World<\/em>. MFA Dance, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; BFA Musical Theatre, Howard University.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Dahm Robertson**<\/strong>\u00a0(Scenic Designer<\/em>) (he\/him)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>:\u00a0Romeo and Juliet;<\/em>\u00a0Kennedy Center:\u00a0Look Both Ways<\/em>; Signature Theatre:\u00a0Passing Strange<\/em>; Round House Theatre:\u00a0Nollywood Dreams<\/em>; Theater J:\u00a0Two Jews Walk into a War, The Christians<\/em>; Mosaic Theater:\u00a0The Agitators, Oh God!<\/em>; 1st Stage:\u00a0The Mamalogues, Member of the Wedding, The Nance<\/em>; Theater Alliance:\u00a0Day of Absence, Blood at the Root<\/em>; American Stage:\u00a0Indecent<\/em>; The Barnstormers:\u00a0Into the Woods<\/em>; Cape Fear Regional Theater:\u00a0Wait Until Dark<\/em>. Opera: The Princeton Festival:\u00a0Nixon in China, Fidelio, Peter Grimes<\/em>; Opera in the Heights:\u00a0Candide, Un Ballo En Maschera, Cosi Fan Tutte<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Danielle Preston**<\/strong>\u00a0(Costume Designer<\/em>)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut. DC\/Regional: Round House Theatre, TheaterWorks Hartford, Olney Theatre Center, Barrington Stage Company, Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Berkshire Theater Group, and Theater J. NYC: 59E59, Lincoln Center\/ Kennedy Center Awards: SETC Distinguished Keynote: Costume Design, Helen Hayes nomination 2024, OPERA America Tobin Director-Designer Prize 2022, Kenan Costume Fellow for the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts 2015, A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute Fellowship in Costume Design 2013. MFA in Costume Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.<\/p>\n

Porsche McGovern**<\/strong>\u00a0(Lighting Designer<\/em>) (she\/her)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut. Round House Theatre:\u00a0Sojourners<\/em>. Regional: Baltimore Center Stage \/Long Wharf Theatre:\u00a0Fires in the Mirror<\/em>. Virginia Theatre Festival:\u00a0The Heart Sellers<\/em>. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park:\u00a0The West End<\/em>. Oregon Shakespeare Festival:\u00a0The Two Gentlemen of Verona.\u00a0<\/em>PlayMakers Repertory Company:\u00a0We Are Proud to Present…\u00a0<\/em>,\u00a0The Skeleton Crew<\/em>. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis:\u00a0The Thanksgiving Play<\/em>. New York: The Playwrights Realm:\u00a0Mothers.<\/em>\u00a0Author,\u00a0Howlround\u00a0<\/em>series, \u201cWho Designs & Directs in LORT Theatres by Pronoun.\u201d MFA, California Institute of the Arts; BA, St. Lawrence University.<\/p>\n

Thom J. Woodward<\/strong>\u00a0(Sound Designer<\/em>)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut; 1st Stage:\u00a0The Piano Lesson<\/em>; Washington Stage Guild:\u00a0Sofonisba<\/em>; Rorschach Theatre:\u00a0Sleeping Giant<\/em>; The Essential Theatre:\u00a0Zora<\/em>; Iron Crow Theatre:\u00a0Everybody\u2019s Talking About Jamie<\/em>; Howard University Department of Theatre:\u00a0The House That Will Not Stand, Sonnets and Soul<\/em>. Teaching Artist: Howard University, Cathay Hughes School of Communications; Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Director of Audio.<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9s Poch<\/strong>\u00a0(Projection Designer<\/em>) (he\/him)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>: debut; Projection Design, Adventure Theatre:\u00a0Winterfest<\/em>; Interrobang Productions:\u00a0I Will Eat You Alive<\/em>; The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland:\u00a0Lost Patterns<\/em>. Caption Design, Gallaudet University:\u00a0Autocorrect Thinks I\u2019m Dead, Meat Expectations<\/em>; VOCA Arts:\u00a0A Strange Loop, A Not So Quiet Nocturne<\/em>. Scenic Design, 4615 Theatre Company:\u00a0A Delicate Ship<\/em>; Virginia Theological Seminary:\u00a0Dust<\/em>. Regional: Scenic Design, Winnipesaukee Playhouse:\u00a0POTUS, In the Heights<\/em>; Andy\u2019s Summer Playhouse:\u00a0Giant Slalom\u00a0<\/em>(New Hampshire Theatre Award for Set Design 2023).<\/p>\n

John “Ray” Proctor<\/strong>\u00a0(Dramaturg,\u00a0and Voice and Text Coach<\/em>) (he\/him)\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong>:\u00a0Six Othellos\u00a0<\/em>(The Reading Room Festival, 2024). Associate Professor of Theatre, Tulane University. Acting: Organic Theater Company:\u00a0Romeo and Juliet;\u00a0<\/em>Arizona Repertory Theatre:\u00a0The Merchant of Venice<\/em>; Greenbrier Valley Theatre:\u00a0Othello;\u00a0<\/em>Southern Rep Theatre:\u00a0Airline Highway<\/em>,\u00a0Father Come Home from the Wars<\/em>. Director: Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane University:\u00a0Into the Woods<\/em>; Crescent City Stage:\u00a0Pantomime;\u00a0<\/em>Tulane University:\u00a0Trouble in Mind.\u00a0<\/em>Publications: \u201cRomeo and Juliet at an Historically Black College\/University\u201d in\u00a0Romeo and Juliet, Adaptation, and the Arts: \u2018Cut Him Out in Little Stars\u2019<\/em>\u00a0(The Arden Shakespeare); \u201cReconsidering and Recasting\u201d in\u00a0Contemporary Black Theatre and Performance: Acts of Rebellion, Activism, and Solidarity<\/em>\u00a0(Bloomsbury Press). PhD in Theatre Research, University of Wisconsin Madison; MFA in Acting, West Virginia University; BA in English, Webster University.<\/p>\n

Kelsey Nicole Jenkins*<\/strong>\u00a0(Production Stage Manager<\/em>) (she\/her)\u00a0Folger Theatre:<\/strong>\u00a0Hamlet<\/em>\u00a0(Reading Room Festival,\u00a02025); Olney Theatre:\u00a0Sleepova!<\/em>; Kennedy Center TYA:\u00a0Ways to Make Sunshine Workshop, Look Both Ways<\/em>; Signature Theatre:\u00a0The Bridges of Madison County, The Color Purple, Awa Sal Secka Sings Ladies of Jazz<\/em>; Arena Stage: Step Afrika\u2019s The Migration, Exclusion, The High Ground<\/em>; Theater Alliance:\u00a0Covenant<\/em>; Rorschach Theatre:\u00a0Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really, Distance Frequencies<\/em>; 1st Stage:\u00a0The Mamalogues.<\/em><\/p>\n

Bryan Boyd*<\/strong>\u00a0(Assistant Stage Manager<\/em>)\u00a0Folger Theatre:<\/strong>\u00a0debut. Stage management: Creative Cauldron:\u00a0Beauty and the Beast<\/em>; Adventure Theatre:\u00a0Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/em>; Montgomery College:\u00a0Into the Woods,\u00a0West Side Story<\/em>.\u00a0Assistant stage management: Theater J:\u00a0Sheltered<\/em>; Mosaic Theater:\u00a0Theory<\/em>; Constellation:\u00a0Skin of Our\u00a0Teeth<\/em>; ArtsCentric:\u00a0Sister Act<\/em>.<\/p>\n

* Member of Actors\u2019 Equity Association<\/strong>
\n** Member of United Scenic Artists<\/strong>
\n*** Stage Directors and Choreographers Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

About the Folger Shakespeare Library and Folger Theatre<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

About Folger Shakespeare Library<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Folger Shakespeare Library makes Shakespeare\u2019s stories and the world in which he lived accessible. Anchored by the world\u2019s largest Shakespeare collection, the Folger is a cultural organization where curiosity and creativity are embraced, and conversation is always encouraged. Visitors to the Folger can choose how they want to experience the arts and humanities, from interactive exhibitions to captivating performances, and from path-breaking research to transformative educational programming. The Folger welcomes everyone to connect in their own way \u2014 from communities throughout Washington, DC, to communities across the globe.<\/p>\n

The award-winning\u00a0Folger Theatre<\/strong> in our nation\u2019s capital bridges the arts and humanities through transformational performances and programming that speak inclusively to the human experience. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels, Folger Theatre continues its legacy through exciting interpretations and adaptations of Shakespeare and expands the classical canon through cultivating today\u2019s artists and commissioning new work that is in dialogue with the concerns and issues of our time. Folger Theatre thrives both on its historical stage and in the community, engaging audiences wherever they happen to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Al Letson reworks ‘Julius Caesar’ through the lens of the Civil Rights Movement, drawing parallels between ancient Rome and 1960s Harlem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-371548","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-district-columbia","8":"category-news"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nFolger Theatre announces cast and creative team for 'Julius X' - 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